A View on Aging

I was never a fan of George Carlin, but a friend sent this to me this week and it's pretty good!!

GEORGE CARLIN'S VIEWS ON AGING
Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life! You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony.YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, youTURN 30, then you'rePUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50, and your dreams are gone...

But! wait!! ! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21,TURN 30, PUSH 40,REACH 50, and make it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that, it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's, and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.

2.. Keep only cheerful friends.. The grouches pull you down.

3.Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever, even ham radio. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's family name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5.. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND, ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

A New Finished Pillow

Jess is certainly loving the snow we've had the past few weeks. She can't wait to go out and run through it, plowing with her nose and eating as much of it as she likes. She seems impervious to the cold, and it is sometimes a challenge to get her to agree to come back into the house. We've started calling her Jessa. It seems more natural when we call her. It didn't seem to bother her that we tweaked her name a bit!

I was hoping Jessa would outgrow her love of chewing pretty soon, but she took it a step farther this week...the victim was a pair of heels...MY heels! I don't know how she did it, but she dragged them under our bed (well out of sight) and managed to spend enough time under there to eat...yes, I said EAT part of the back above the heel and part of the toe (sole and all) of one shoe. She just nibbled a little on the other. I'm beginning to suspect that she is part terrier and part goat! Looks like shoe shopping is in my future. :0)

We had two nights this week with heavy fog resulting in some absolutely beautiful morning frosts. It really looked like an enchanted winter wonderland with the white trees and shrubs and.....fences!

The Austrian pine trees were particularly beautiful. They looked like huge flocked Christmas trees.

The fog is still visible in this sunrise shot. It would have been nicer without the husband and dog tracks criss-crossing all over the yard! I would have to get up pretty early to get pristine snow pix with no tracks! All in all, I'm satisfied with the snowfall that we've had and am ready to move on to flowers and green grass. Can't wait for Spring.

This is a 9" X 12" hooked pillow that I finished this weekend. It was a fun little project, and I really wanted to try the rolled wool strip circles that Deanne Fitzpatrick demonstrated on her blog. They were pretty easy to do and make a nice variation to hooked circles. I may give this to my granddaughters. I worked on it while babysitting this week and Allison asked if I was "sewing" it for her and her sister, Olivia. I asked if she wanted me to make one in colors that would match their room (pink, green and white), but she said, "No, I like this one, Grandma!" Maybe, Valentine's Day had something to do with her wanting to have the red one...she and Olivia both had Valentine's parties at school this week.) Anyway, it was a fun project and I like making pillows.

I hope you had a great weekend (and Valentine's Day) and have a great week, too!

Winter Beauty

It is so beautiful outside today. The sun is shining and there is hardly any wind blowing...just perfect. We have had a few days with snow falling, and everything is fresh, white, and sparkling. The people on the east coast have really been "blessed" with a lot of snow this weekend, and I'm sure that those who are not used to so much snow are going through some trials right now. I've always enjoyed "snow days" when everyone has no choice but to stay home because of weather. There is something cozy about being inside by the fire while the snow falls (and drifts!) outside. An unexpected day of forced vacation can be a great time to catch up on a project or to read a book that you have been wanting to read. My favorite, of course, is to pick up my rug hooking and to spend the major part of the day sitting with some great classical music playing and working on my latest hooked rug. It can be so relaxing, and a lot of progress can be made. It is so great to get more than a few minutes at a time to work.

My cat and pumpkin rug is coming along, and I will try to post a picture soon. I can't wait to get this rug completed and to start on another project. I have already drawn another mat and am pondering color choices now. Hope you have a great week!

The Statue

This statue currently stands outside the Iraqi palace, now home to the Fourth Infantry Division. It will eventually be shipped home to be placed in the memorial museum at Ft. Hood, TX. The statue was created by an Iraqi artist named Kalat, who for years was forced by Saddam Hussein to make the hundreds of bronze busts of Saddam which dotted Baghdad. Kalat was so grateful for the American liberation of his country, that he melted three of the bronze heads of the fallen Saddam and created this statue as a memorial to the American soldiers and their fallen warriors. Kalat worked on this memorial night and day for several months. To the left of the kneeling soldier is a small Iraqi girl giving the soldier comfort as he mourns the loss of his comrade in arms.

We don't hear of this heartwarming story in the media because it has no shock value. It should be made public to honor our brave military who ARE making a difference. God bless our troops and God bless America.

This was received from a friend via email this week. Hope it is an encouragement to you today.

High School 1959 v 2009

I received the following in an email this week. Hope some of you can relate!

I think the baby boomers can relate to how stupid we have become in this country...PC is ruining our country

HIGH SCHOOL --1959 vs. 2009

Scenario 1:
Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck's gun rack.
1959 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2009 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario 2:
Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1959 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2009 - Police called and SWAT team arrives -- they arrest both
Johnny and Mark. They are both charged with assault and both expelled even though Johnny started it.


Scenario 3:
Jeffrey will not be still in class, he disrupts other students.
1959 - Jeffrey sent to the Principal's office and given a good paddling by the Principal. He then returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2009 - Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin He becomes a zombie. He is then tested for ADD.. The school gets extra money from the state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario 4:
Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.

1959 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman.
2009 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to
foster care and joins a gang. The state psychologist is told by Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has an affair with the psychologist.


Scenario 5:
Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1959 - Mark shares his aspirin with the Principal out on the smoking dock..
2009 - The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations.. His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario 6:
Pedro fails high school English.
1959 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and goes to college.
2009 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against the state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English is then banned from core curriculum.. Pedro is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario 7:
Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the Fourth of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up a red ant bed..
1959 - Ants die.
2009 -ATF, Homeland Security and the FBI are all called. Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. The FBI investigates his parents --and all siblings are removed from their home and all computers are confiscated. Johnny's dad is placed on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario 8:
Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1959 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2009 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

What a difference a few decades make!!!

The picture is of a hooked key chain that I made several years ago. The eyes are beads, and the tail is a tuft of roving that I hooked into the appropriate area!